Dice 'n Buttons

Skavv’s Rant: Gamer Girls

Alright, this one is going to be a whopper. First let me say that women who are into gaming are more than just a welcome addition to the gamer hordes; women are a big part of that subculture all on their own. The world doesn’t need to “accept” the idea of gamer girls, because the idea is already a solidified reality. The world might as well “accept” the idea of gravity.

Some time ago, when I was introduced to tumblr, I started following the “Gamer Girls” tag. The tag gave me pictures of women holding controllers over their chest, and I sacrificed copies of Duke Nukem Forever in ritual fires to appease it. The relationship was symbiotic at first.

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5 Reasons Zombie Games Are Taking Over The World

With titles like Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising, Plants vs Zombies, and more recently Dead Island each raking in millions of dollars, there is some sociological phenomenon at work to sway public interest toward the undead. In addition to these games there are other big names that are eluding me right now, and of course there are the ‘zombie versions’ of nearly every big game. With more or less no real qualifications beyond basic college psychiatry, philosophy, and sociology, I am going to attempt to rationalize the recent popularity of zombie games, movies, and television shows.

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6 Tabletop Gamers You Don’t Want to Be

First off, this is a list of a few people who are usually present at every gaming table. It isn’t the end of the world if your table has a couple of these characters, just know that some of your friends have probably noticed it, and aren’t thrilled. Anyway, here goes:

1) Warning Signs:
Do your friends turn away or change the subject when you start to talk about your character?
Do you tell a lot of stories about what happened “one time” in a game?
Do you repeat those stories? Several times?
Did you write a backstory more than 1 page long?

The Braggart isn’t really that bad. He’s a passionate gamer, and generally stays in character. He’s metagamed a bit or rolled well, and he plays the game well besides, so he’s a pretty effective asset to the party. The problem with the Braggart is fairly self explanatory. He goes on about his different abilities, synergies, and backstory, long after his audience has lost interest. 

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Nerdy Pickup Line of the Week

Week 8: “Roll with me babe; with your body and my mind, we would be a critical hit.”

Last Week

THINKING ABOUT CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES: DEXTERITY

Dexterity is probably my favorite stat, most notably because I love rogues. Dexterity is what characters use to dodge attacks, aim ranged attacks, sneak in the shadows, perform feats of acrobatics, and avoid traps. It factors into their initiative and their Reflex defense. More than that, dexterity is the measurement of balance, poise, precision, and accuracy of any given character. It’s incredibly important to anyone who wants to do interesting things, physically, in combat. It’s the ninja stat.

8…
is below average. You have trouble walking and chewing gum. Coordination just really isn’t your thing. You might hit your head walking through doors, drop things you’re carrying, shoot yourself in the foot while reloading, and get stuck in small spaces. You usually avoid any tasks that could involve balance, timing, stealth, or poise. Maybe you have a crippling injury, are prone to seizures, have impaired sight or balance, or are overweight. Fumbles, from GoblinsComic, has 8 dexterity.

10…
is an average dexterity score. You can balance, sneak, and react about as fast as anyone else. When out of your element, you fall on your face; when in it, you generally succeed at things you attempt. Not a lot to say here; you’re as dexterous as say, Ron Weasley.

12…
is above average. You’re more agile than most of the people you know. Your balance isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad either. You can throw things with accuracy, and while you can’t sneak up on animals, you can sometimes get a jump on other people. Frodo Baggins has about 12 dexterity.

14…
is impressive, but nothing incredible. Maybe you juggle. You can palm small objects with some degree of competence, and you don’t feel any particular risk carefully balancing over a steep cliff. You can move around with a blindfold and avoid tripping with even odds. I would give Link (Zelda) 14 Dexterity.

16…
is truly surprising. Your muscles might not have a lot of strength, but they have tone. You can dodge oncoming attacks, hit a target on the move, and balance on a beam, but probably not all at the same time. You can control your body in ways that can occasionally leave people around you in awe. Jackie Chan has 16 dexterity.

18…
is utterly amazing. You react almost before things happen, and it sometimes scares people. Legolas of the Woodland Realm has 18 dexterity. His heightened sense of balance and fast reactions allow him to perform feats of agiltiy like this and this.

People more agile than this pass into legend. Their aim improves, their balance as well, but these changes aren’t clear to the passive observer. The greatest pinnacles of dexterous achievement might well go completely unnoticed, a silent shadow in the pages of history.

When you are distributing your dexterity stat during character creation, think about how your stats got to be where they are. Did you train as a pickpocket? Were you a burglar, an archer, or a daredevil? If you’re an assassin now, where did you learn your craft? How do you maintain your disciplined agility? If your dexterity is low, how do you rationalize that weakness? How do you roleplay it? 

If you liked this, be sure to check out the rest of the set:
THINKING ABOUT CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES: STRENGTH
THINKING ABOUT CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES: CHARISMA
THINKING ABOUT CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES: INTELLIGENCE 
THINKING ABOUT CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES: WISDOM 
THINKING ABOUT CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES: CONSTITUTION

Or check out my other articles on the Dungeon Map!
-Skavv 

Treasure in Tepdos: Living Quarters

This is part of my Treasure in Tepdos adventure, which can be found on the Dungeon Map.

Living Quarters [Blank Map] [DM Map]

The stale scent of body odor and refuse permeates this smoky room as the door is opened. Torches line many of the walls, casting vague shadows on the dry, oily rock (DC 15 to climb). Stinking blankets lie scattered around the floor, covering the stone surface almost entirely. An old wooden fence (DC 10 to climb) quarters off a straw-lined section of the chamber, where a huge shape shuffles and clicks in the darkness.

The ceiling dips to a mere 15 feet from the previous room, coming even lower in some places. The torches cast bright light 5 squares, and dim light 2 squares beyond that.

The goblins sleep in this room, and relax here when their duties are done. The chamber is primarily filled with the younger, more poorly trained goblins [GC], and each stands ready to fight to the death. Some time ago they captured and raised a young beetle [TB], feeding it scraps of meat and gradually domesticating it as it grew. The goblins have also set up a pit trap [T] under the blanketed floor, for just such a possibility. Two more heavily muscled goblins (G) lurk in the shadows.

Any survivors from previous encounters may have fled to this room, seeking safety in numbers and in the giant beetle over the protection of their underboss. If so, add them to the back room if they are ranged or to the cutter mob if they are melee.

Encounter Level 2 (625 xp)
1 Tangler Beetle [B] MM1 200xp
5 Goblin Cutters [GC] MM1 125xp
2 Goblin Blackblades [G] MM1 200xp
1 False-Floor Pit Trap [T] DMG 87, 100xp

In combat, the Cutters [GC]will move around the pit trap to meet the enemy, doing their best to defend the tangler beetle. The beetle will use its reach to attack over the goblins, climbing the fence (no check) if necessary and using ranged attacks whenever possible, targeting anyone already flanked. The cutters will work with it to attempt to push tougher opponents into the pit trap (gaining a +2 circumstance bonus against immobilized foes), attacking weaker foes as normal. They will try to set up flanking positions for the blackblades; who will attack the weaker foes from their hiding places.

Treasure:
One of the blackblades has a magic item
A small locked chest in the corner of the room holds some gold
An unlabeled potion lies in the straw within the beetle’s enclosure

Adjacent to
Main Hall

Dungeons and Dragons Drinking Game

A drinking game I came up with, though I’m sure that people have done this before; feel free to check my other posts on the Dungeon Map!

RULES
These are all optional; most are controllable by the character, and most are ‘mistakes’ a character can make. Write up your own list before you start playing so that it is clear which ones you have decided to use.

A player drinks when their character:
Casts Cure Light Wounds, Lay On Hands, Uses Sneak Attack, Casts Magic Missile, Goes Into and Comes Out of a Barbarian Rage, or uses some other suitable class feature agreed upon during character creation.
Drinks a Potion
Gains a Negative Status Effect
Goes Unconscious
Becomes Bloodied
Dies (probably a couple drinks here)
Is Hit by a Trap
Rolls a 1 on an Attack
Drinks (in character)
Breaks Character

The DM Drinks When:
A Monster Dies (think about this one, it happens a lot)
A Character Rolls a 20
A Character Finds a Magic Item
A Character Disables a Trap
An NPC Drinks (in character)
A Character Spots an Anachronism

Everyone Drinks When:
A Nerdy Media Reference is Made (Leroy Jenkins, Double Rainbow, Attacking the Darkness, etc)
Mountain Dew or Doritos are Mentioned Aloud

Treasure in Tepdos: Main Hall

This is part of my Treasure in Tepdos adventure, which can be found on the Dungeon Map.

Main Hall [Map] [DM Map]
The largest chamber in the cavern, this room is surprisingly earthy. Torches run down the length of the room, but several of them have guttered out, leaving most of the cavern is still shrouded in darkness. Luminescent purple fungi grow in abundance to either side of the cavern (difficult terrain, casts dim light 1 square). The high ceiling stretches up out of sight; the walls seeming to lift the smoky blackness overhead. In the far distance, a fire [F] casts flickering shadows on the wall. A huge well to the southwest stands about 2 feet tall, dropping into blackness.

The two torches cast bright light 5 squares, and dim light an additional 2. The walls are sheer, but drier than the previous room, and can be climbed more easily (DC 15). The ceiling in this chamber stretches to a lofty 60 feet, and a dark tunnel high above leads to the surface

A pair of Shadowhunter Bats [SB] have made their home on a ledge 40 feet up the cliff, and will attack anyone (including goblins) who crosses the center of the chamber. The goblins have been avoiding this danger by traveling with torches at all times, and have rigged up a water trap [T] to the high ceiling. This is treated as a Rockslide Hazard (DMG 87) and additionally douses any torches in its area of effect.

Encounter Level 3  700xp
2 Shadowhunter Bats [B] MM1 300xp
1 Waterslide Trap [T] DMG 87 100xp
3 Goblin Cutters [GC] MM1 75xp
1 Goblin Acolyte of Maglubiyet [GA] MM2 100xp
1 Goblin Sharpshooter [SS] MM1 125xp

*This encounter assumes that the players are arriving from the Entry Chamber, having already alerted the goblins by the sounds of battle. In this case, the goblins are already lying in wait, poised to strike. If they are coming from up from the Bottom of the Well, the goblins will instead be gathered around the fire, relaxing.

Perceptive characters (DC 15) will notice bones among the mushrooms; evidence of the bat’s recent meals. Anyone schooled in Nature or Dungeoneering (DC 15) may put 2 and 2 together and realize that cave mushrooms often grow in animal droppings.

In combat, the Acolyte will lead the Cutters in a charge to the center of the room, all of the goblins holding torches. The Acolyte will try to move as many party members under the trap as possible, staying out of the area himself. The Sharpshooter will stay back near the fire, taking cover by the cliff and potentially moving south toward the well, using stealth where they can. If the opportunity presents itself, any goblin will trigger the trap by pulling a small lever [L], provided more enemies than allies are within the area of effect. The Bats fear fire, and will avoid anyone holding a torch, swooping down to attack the softest targets or anyone who wanders alone and returning to the walls. Further, they will not follow anyone out of the chamber, and they will entirely avoid bright light, returning to their high perches if their quarry flees.

A mated pair, each bat will fight to the death if the other dies; they will flee (to the dark above) if the party take up torches or if one of them is badly hurt. The goblins will flee northwest to the living quarters or south to the underboss’s chambers, depending on which makes more sense at the time.

Treasure
A fair amount of gold on the Acolyte, who was the Underboss’ close friend
1 magic item on a ledge 40 feet up the cliff
1 healing potion among the mushrooms

Nearby
Entry Chamber (East)
Underboss’s Chambers (South)
Living Quarters (Northwest)
Bottom of the Well (Below)